Mamata Banerjee demands national status for Ganga Sagar Mela
Kolkata: Pilgrims arrive at Sagar Island for Gangasagar Mela on "Makar Sankranti" in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas in Kolkata, on Jan 14, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
SAGARISLAND: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday demanded that the Centre accord national status for the annual Gangasagar Mela which will be held here next week in the state’s South 24 Parganas district.
Banerjee also said that the Centre has not paid any heed to her repeated requests to build a bridge over the Muri Ganga river to help pilgrims reach Sagar Island easily.
“The central government has been providing huge funds to the Kumbh Mela. But it is not providing anything to Gangasagar Mela. That is the reason that I will request them to declare it as a national fair so that we can get some funds,” she said.
Banerjee reached Sagar Island on Wednesday afternoon to review the preparations for the upcoming Gangasagar Mela to be held between January 8 and 16.
Lakhs of Hindu pilgrims gather in Sagar Island from different parts of the country and outside to take a holy dip at the confluence of the sacred Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of ‘Makar Sankranti’.
Source: Press Trust of India
